Holder for elongated article



June 20, 1967 J. A. DIEHL HOLDER FOR ELONGATED ARTICLE Filed June 21, 1965 INVENTOR Julius 4. D/eh/ United States Patent 3.326.254 HOLDER FOR ELONGATED ARTICLE Juli s A. Dielil. Rte. 1. Butler. Mo. 64730 Filed June 21, 1965. Ser. No. 465,654 6 Claims. (Cl. 145-46) This invention relates to hand tools and, more particularly, to a hand tool for holding nails. screws. bolts and the like as the same are being driven into or threadably coupled to a workpiece.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide a tool for holding an elongated article of any one of the aforesaid types which permits the article to be coupled to a workpiece, either by being driven into the workpiece in the case of a nail, or being threadably secured to the workpiece in the case of a screw or a bolt. and wherein the tool may be quickly and easily separated from the artic e after the same has been partially secured to the workpiece, all to the end that the step of handling the article while the same is being secured to the workpiece is considerably simplified and the securing of the article to the workpiece may be done in a minimum of time.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a tool of the type described which utilizes a pair of relatively shiftable jaw members for releasably holding an elongated article to be fixed to a workpiece, and wherein one of the members is provided with a cam surface thereon disposed in a manner such that the tool may be easily forced off the article after the latter has been secured to the workpiece and projects outwardly therefrom.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a tool for holding an elongated article as the latter is being afiixed to a workpiece wherein the tool is Simple in construction. can be constructed from commcrcialy available materials, and may be used even by the most unskilled workman.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of one side of the tool of this invention. one jaw member of the tool being in section to reveal details of construction;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of another side of the tool with the handle thereof shown in section;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but illustrating the way in which an elongated article is releasably held by and subsequently separated from the tool; and

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of the tool.

Tool includes a shank 12 which is threaded at one end 14 thereof and threadably coupled to a sleeve 16 rigidly secured at one extremity of a handle 18. A nut 20 threaded onto shank 12 at end 14 thereof provides a projection for a purpose to be hereinafter described. A hook member 22 is integral with shank 12 at the opposite end thereof and provides an abutment extending laterally from the longitudinal axis of shank 12. Cam structure 24 is provided on shank 12 for movement toward and away from hook member 22 whereby an elongated article to be held by tool 10 may be forced against the abutment defined by hook member 22. A coil spring 26 is disposed in surrounding relationship to shank 12 and is positioned between nut 20 and cam structure 24. Spring 26 is normally under compression so that structure 24 will be biased at all times toward hook member 22.

Structure 24 includes a spherical member 28 rotatably mounted on shank 12 and provided with a continuous, convex outer surface 30 extending between the upper extremity 32 thereof and the generally flat, lower extremity 34 thereof. The upper end of spring 26 engages extremity 34 to force member 28 toward hook member 22. Hook member 22 is provided with an inclined surface 36 which cooperates with the uppermost portion of surface 30 to cam an article held between members 22 and 28 as tool 31,326,254 Patented June 20', 1-967 ice 10 is moved in a predetermined direction. This action separates tool 10 from the article after the latter has been fixed to a workpiece.

In use, an elongated article 38', such as a nail, is manually placed between members 22 and 28 in the manner shown in FIG. 3 in. full lines. To accomplish this, member 28 is moved toward handle 18 and away from hook member 22 through a distance sufficient to insert article 38 in the resulting space. Member 28is then released and will force article 38 against the abutment definediby hook member 22.

The workman then grasps handle 18 and. drives the article 38 partially into a workpiece so that it will become stationary with respect to tool 10. The workman then forces tool 10 forwardly toward article 38, and surfaces 30 and 36 cause a camming action to move members 22' and 28 to the side of article 38 and then off the latter, whereupon member 28 will then move into the position thereof shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 under the bias force of spring 26. In FIG. 3, article 38 is shown in dashed lines as members 22 and 28 are being separated therefrom. It is to be noted that member 28 assumes the dashed-line position inasmuch as hook member 22 is moved away therefrom as handle 18 is forced toward article 38.

Articles other than nails can be held and separated from tool 10. For instance, screws and bolts can also be handled with tool 10. In the case of a screw, the screw is manually placed between the jaws defined by members 22 and 28 and thereafter partially threaded into a workpiece. Following this step, tool 10 is again manipulated by forcing handle 18 toward the screw so that surfaces 30 and 36 provide a camming action to move members 22 and 28 laterally with respect to the screw and thereby away from the latter.

Any article that is to be fixed to a support or workpiece can be handled with tool 10. Since surface 30 is continuous, member 28 may be in any rotative disposition with respect to shank 12 for operation. Hook member 22 may have a small depression 40 therein for articles of slightly larger diameter than that illustrated in FIG. 3.

The bias force of spring 26 may be varied by changing the position of nut 20 along shank 12. To decrease the bias force, nut 20 is moved toward handle 18; conversely, nut 20 is moved away from handle 18 when the bias force is to be increased.

For handling articles too large to be received within the recess of hook member 22, shank 12 may be replaced by another shank whose hook member 22 is larger in size than that illustrated in FIGS. 1-4. It is conceivable that the shank diameter would remain the same so that nut 20, coil spring 26 and member 28 could continue to be used. However, the size of the hook member of the replacement will govern the size of member 28.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A tool for holding an elongated article comprising:

a shank;

a handle at one end of said shank;

a hook member at the opposite end of the shank and having an inner surface, said one end of the shank being threaded;

.a nut threadably mounted on said shank at said one end;

an apertured spherical member receiving said shank therethrough and being movable along the same, said spherical member having a continuous convex, outer surface normally adjacent to said inner surface of said hook member; and

a coil spring on said shank between said spherical member and said nut, said spring normally being under compression to bias said spherical member toward said hook member, whereby an article may be Ieleasably held between said members, said surface of said members extending laterally from said shank and toward said handle to cam said members from an article therebetween after the article has been aflixed to a workpiece and as said handle is moved ing a shank receiving aperture through the center thereof,

the peripheray of said ball presenting said surface.

5. The invention of claim 4,

toward said article. 5 said other member comprising a hook having an inner 2. A tool for holding an article comprising: surface complementally mated with the periphery a pair of members movable relatively along a path of of said ball.

travel toward and away from each other; and 6. A releasable holder for a nail comprising:

yieldable means biasing said members toward one anan elongated shank having a hook on one end thereof; other for clamping an article to be held therebea truncated sphere-like member reciprocable on the tween, whereby upon initial urging of said members shank toward and away from the hook and having along said path in a predetermined direction with a nail engaging surface circumscribing said shank; a fixed article therebetween, movement of the trailresilient means on the shank yieldably biasing the meming member is resisted by said fixed article to cause ber toward the hook for clamping a nail between said members to part against the bias of the yieldsaid surface and the book when the latter is looped able means to release said fixed article, onto the nail,

said trailing member having a camming-clamping sursaid surface bulging outwardly from the shank and face disposed for engaging said fixed article during longitudinally of the shank toward the opposite end said clamping of the latter, said surface being symthereof away from said hook for deflecting the hook metrical about said path and extending outwardly of off the nail after the latter has been fixed against and along the latter in a direction opposite to said disPlacement y Shifting of the Shank in one direcpredetermined direction whereby upon ti d tion with respect to the member against the action urging of said members in said predetermined direcof Said meanstion said trailing member is cammed laterally of said References Cited path and out of engagement with said fixed article and means disposed along said path to preclude UNITED STATES PATENTS lateral camming in one direction. 1,321,246 11/1919 R th,

3. The invention of claim 2, wherein said means com- 1,503,898 8/ 1924 Hott. prises a shank extending along said path of travel, said 1,672,477 6/1928 Tipsord et a1, 8l-3.8 X trailing member being reciprocable on the shank, the other 2,191,010 2/ 1940 Dahlquist -4 member being rigid with the shank.

4. The invention of claim 3, said trailing member comprising a truncated ball hav- WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

R. V. PARKER, JR., Assistant Examiner. 

2. A TOOL FOR HOLDING AN ARTICLE COMPRISING: A PAIR OF MEMBERS MOVABLE RELATIVELY ALONG A PATH OF TRAVEL TOWARD AND AWAY FROM EACH OTHER; AND YIELDABLE MEANS BIASING SAID MEMBERS TOWARD ONE ANOTHER FOR CLAMPING AN ARTICLE TO BE HELD THEREBETWEEN, WHEREBY UPON INITIAL URGING OF SAID MEMBERS ALONG SAID PATH IN A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION WITH A FIXED ARTICLE THEREBETWEEN, MOVEMENT OF THE TRAILING MEMBER IS RESISTED BY SAID FIXED ARTICLE TO CAUSE SAID MEMBERS TO PART AGAINST THE BIAS OF THE YIELDABLE MEANS TO RELEASE SAID FIXED ARTICLE, SAID TRAILING MEMBER HAVING A CAMMING-CLAMPING SURFACE DISPOSED FOR ENGAGING SAID FIXED ARTICLE DURING SAID CLAMPING OF THE LATTER, SAID SURFACE BEING SYMMETRICAL ABOUT SAID PATH AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY OF AND ALONG THE LATTER IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO SAID 